Tips for Toddler to stay in Bed

[Lisawa]

DD is 2 she has recently gone into a bed and I am having trouble getting her to stay there. We are currently putting her down reading a book and saying goodnight and walking out and putting her back over and over but even after an hr or so it does always work. I have tried sitting on a stool in her room until she is asleep which works but I have to wait till she is asleep and it not something we really want to be doing all the time.

Daytime naps are even harder as I have a 9 month old also.

I have used a gate and tried the door closed which seems to upset her and we use it more as a threat if she plays up too much.

What did you find worked best?

Thanks
Lisa

[the_queen]

With the sitting by her bed until she's asleep - honestly that will not last forever. Look at it as a transitional phase. Suddenly she's in a big bed, it's all different, and you're expecting her at 2 years old to be able to fall asleep just like you do?? She's only a little child, don't place too high a expectation on her. Give her the comfort and security of falling asleep while you're there, and eventually she'll be able to do this alone. How long do you have to sit there with her - probably less than an hour, right? So isn't it better to let her fall asleep feeling safe secure and comforted, than to try to force her to stay in her own bed and fight about it, taking over an hour??
Getting her into a really predictable night-time routine will help too, and maybe try getting out and about with her in the afternoons, to tire her out. Really, bed-time shouldn't be at the time that's most convenient for you, it should be at the time when she is tired. How much sleep is she having during the day? Could you drop a daytime sleep to get her to sleep earlier at night?

[Lisawa]

I think you might be right, it took 1 hr for her nap with fighting today and it probably would have been much quicker to sit in there for a little while. I just hear so many stories about still having to sit in there for hrs and starting off a bad habit. Maybe for the next few weeks with the transition its worth sitting and then trying to break down the time as she settles in the new bed.

the only major issue I have is during the day for Nap time DS who is 9 months is generally awake and needs attention but I might try putting him in the pram infront of a DVD or something whilst I get her down.

She is currently having a nap from 12-2 depending on how things go. Bedtime is at 7:30pm and she wakes at 5:30 sometimes and comes into bed to sleep with us till 6:30-7am.

Thanks
Lisa

[kirstenriley]

we have recently done the same, we tend to stand by the bed and then every couple of minutes move a bit further to the door. Some nights it takes 5 mins, some nights 30 mins, occasionally we shut the door and he goes straight to sleep(sometimes he doesnt!!!...lol...sooo helpful arent i!)

Anyway with the daytime, i tend to let him sleep wherever (beanbag, couch) as it is harder to get him to sleep and i dont want to give him a phobia of the bedtime routine.

After 5 weeks or so, he will sometimes sleep through the night, or sometimes we have to get up once or twice to put him back to bed.

[jembelina]

I have no experience in this area, but I have heard that with the sitting in the room with them you can gradually move yourself further and further away from her bed, untill you are sitting in the doorway, then not in the room at all. I think 'they' say a week for each move, but depending on how she goes a few nights might work too. Good luck, I am likely to be heading down this path before I know it so will be keeping my eye on this thread for ideas!

[~Emmylou~]

We did the gate across the door, as well as putting her back over and over like you're doing.

With the gate - She threw a fit but she was more angry than upset. Her door is always open so she knows she isn't "alone" as such...she just didn't want the gate there. We've never sat with her to help her sleep (never had to) so we really weren't keen to start that up now with another baby coming in a couple of months.
After about a week she was fine with the gate. She's been in her big bed for over a month and we very rarely have problems with her even getting out bed now, let alone wanting out of the room.
Good luck it's a battle! :)

[creativewarrior]

your girl has the exact same routine as amber, who will be 2 soon. shes in a bed now and it took aggggges to get her to sleep of a night and nap times were a complete nightmare. still are sometimes so i just get her up for another 30 mins and try again instead of going thru the dramas.

sometimes i skip the day nap entirely if we are out doing things and then shes straight to sleep at 7.30 before ive even read a few pages to her.

i dont have any magic tricks for you but lately what ive found is if i give her advanced warning of nap and bedtime eg "you ready for a nap? you look tired" and when she says no let her know that "thats ok but it will be sleeptime soon ok?" then about 10 minutes later i repeat and tell that "needs a nap soon, say 15 minutes?" and then about 5 mins before i actually try for the sleep i warn her again and give her a snack, a drink, change nappy etc so that she has no excuse not to sleep.

sometimes with naps that dont work, i get her up and give her some more food and maybe a warm drink - makes them sleepy :)

i shut the door and dont go back in unless shes really crying or banging on the door - somedays she plays for a bit then goes to sleep on her own - other times i go to put the rubbish out and see her sitting in her bedroom window waving at me and people on the street :laughing:

once i thought she was asleep but wasnt (like an hr later!) and so i just yelled out "go to sleep amber" and she went to bed and woke up 2 hrs later - was the best 3 hrs ive ever had :)

i'll try to think of what else i do...